I've hunted all day every day since Friday til now. Not a single gobble or yelp on my property, and not a single turkey in my 30 acre plowed up field. I tried every single tactic I know to locate birds and bring in silent gobblers, but the only turkeys I saw were on the main road on the way out today. Heard a few gobbles across the river and a couple on the adjacent property. The turkey predator that lives up the road must have struck before I could get down here. I talked to a guy in the club next to me and he told me a lot about this guy I didn't know. I knew he poached and killed more than his limit every year, but had no clue he kills as many as the guy told me. He said he kills 40 or 50 birds every year. Said his goal is to kill 1000 and he was at 800 last year before he killed 52. So I imagine he's up around 875 already since Jan 1, and I'm not very optimistic that he's staying off my property. I've never been to my place on opening weekend and not heard a single gobble. Also had a couple of shirt-less meth heads ride past me on my power line yesterday. So it aint lookin good so far. Can't imagine it's gonna get any better since I now live 3 hours away and can't be here to keep people out. Guess I'm gonna have to make friends with somebody in north alabama. Sorry guys. BUT HEY, CONGRATS TO EFH for not ONE BUT TWO BIRDS already! Good goin man, glad the white lightnin is workin out for ya. You'll have to pick up my end this year probably, unless I can hook up with somebody up around where I live. Good luck everybody else. Keep at em Ray, those public land birds are tough bud.

That sucks!! SouthernStrut. Them violaters are some kind of low lifes that have to ruin someones hunting all the time. Then if you approach one of them they act as if their doing nothing wrong!! I have to deal with one in our neck of the woods also and he acts that he's been around the area his whole life and that he should be able to hunt where ever he wants. Complete B.S. The neighbors like to say he has a "round 40 acres" meaning he hunts all around it!!! haha.

Dang man, thats tuff! Mabey they will still show up, it's really early still. I hunted for the better part of the day on my place today, didn't hear a bird or even see a hen. My little cousin's going to start hunting it this weekend so it's going to get tuff now, it's his first year. I've got a couple trips planned, but I'm sure I'll just be calling for them. SS, like I said it's early man, you gonna smoke one!!

Yeah it was the worst few opening days I've ever had. To add to all the bs, I found 3 big piles of horse crap on one of my roads way beyond the gate. It wasn't fresh but I saw two trucks with horse trailers at the four way while I was coming out, so I guess those were the culprits. I guess people just think they can do anything and go anywhere when the weather gets nice out, and it seems like nobody respects a posted no trespassing sign anymore. I've had to put up with the poachers and all ever since I started hunting years ago, and I've killed birds on my place knowing they're around every now and then. But now it's out of control bc nobody's there to maintain a presence and keep folks out. Next weekend will be the test bc I hear tons of birds every single year around the 25th of March. Last year I heard over a dozen on the 24th, the year before last I killed a field gobbler that was hammering his feathers off with two more big ones.....and we had nothing planted and no dirt turned up, just a cut field with weeds and stobs. If I don't hear any gobbles or see any birds in that fresh dirt field next weekend I'll be looking for a different place for the rest of the season and devote my entire summer to building a moat and tying up some pit bulls on the perimeter. Maybe I'll actually get to set up on a gobbling bird and call a little bit next weekend.

Hang in there slayer. I know you will connect :)

You'll get em SS... things always change late season!
it's like starting fresh sometimes...

Well Mother Nature is playing games on us here in Northern Michigan.. The weather is calling for SNOW!! again for Tuesday night and Wednesday showing up to 10 inches possibly of wet heavy snow.

man, were in the 80's here! I was thinking it was to hot for this early in the season. It's been mid 40's to low 50's at daylight and usually there's a frost. I don't know about snow though, only been around it a handfull of times. Haha!

Last week we had a couple of 60 degree days and was taking a beating on the snow but I guess we have to deal with it, it's Michigan wait 10 minutes the weather might change. haha. Temps are to cool off for the remaining of week also like 30's and low teens at night.

Looks like rain for the only two days I get to hunt this week, which isn't a bad thing. Maybe they'll be slipping around near the fields. I'm trying to stay positive about all the crap I've been finding out lately, maybe it's not as bad as it seems. I'm sure there's still a few good birds around somewhere. I will not leave my land this coming weekend til there's blood and feathers in the bed of the truck!